Craft beer sales continue to rise even as the beer industry feels the pinch from frugal consumer spending and higher costs.

“In the mid-’90s, people still didn’t know whether this was a fad or not,” said Dan Kenary, president of South Boston-based Harpoon Brewing Co. “There were a lot of people flocking in, trying to make a quick buck. Now there are people who have grown up with this industry their whole life.”

The Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association defines craft brewers as those with annual production of less than two million barrels, that have less than 25 percent ownership by a non-craft alcohol beverage company, and that avoid the use of adjunct ingredients to lighten flavor.

The industry has enjoyed steady growth over the last five years, as craft beer’s share of the $100 billion U.S. beer market rose from 2.7 percent in 2003 to 4 percent in 2008. The Brewers Association estimated craft beer sales last year at $6.3 billion in 2008, up from $5.7 billion the previous year.

Boston was the epicenter of the craft brew world this past week as the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America began Wednesday at the World Trade Center. More than 20,000 attendees registered for the conference, and 180 vendors from neon sign manufacturers to malt suppliers participated in Wednesday’s trade show.

Throughout the event, the message from participants was consistent: Business is buoyant.

Craft beer sales appear to be holding up during the recession, boosted by customers’ strong demographics.

Throughout the U.S. beer industry, overall shipments from brewers have declined 3 percent year-to-date compared with the previous year, said Benj Steinman, president of the trade publication Beer Marketer’s Insights. Import shipments have declined 19.3 percent, with domestic shipments down 1.8 percent.

The recession and rising costs have dealt blows to an industry that had seen a steady decline in per-capita consumption since 1990.

For the 52 weeks that ended on March 9, craft beer sales rose 12.6 percent from the previous 52-week period, compared with 3 percent for all beer, according to data from market researchers the Nielsen Company.

Craft brewers benefited from sales of seasonal varieties, with sales up 27.6 percent from the previous year, and combo packs, which are up 23.6 percent.

People aged 25 to 34 make up the biggest segment of craft beer drinkers, at 26 percent, and 38 percent of craft beer customers have incomes of $100,000 or more. More than 40 percent are college graduates.

Kingston’s L. Knife & Son, one of the nation’s top Anheuser-Busch distributors, entered the craft beer market in 2002 when it acquired the Randolph-based Craft Brewers Guild’s portfolio of specialty beers. The craft beer business, which accounted for just 1 percent of L. Knife’s sales at the outset, now accounts for 18 percent of total company revenues, L. Knife CEO Tim Sheehan said.

The division carries more than 1,000 varieties from 120 suppliers, and L. Knife now ships more than a million cases of craft beer within Massachusetts annually.

Sheehan said the segment is proving resilient.

“It has not taken a big economic hit because most people consider it more of a staple than a luxury,” Sheehan said. “On the higher-end brands, people are pretty passionate about them. They may drink less, but they’re going to continue to drink what they like.”

Patriot Ledger writer Steve Adams may be reached at sadams@ledger.com.

TOP CRAFT BREWING COMPANIES

By beer sales volume (2008 sales)

1. Boston Beer Co., Boston

2. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Chico, Calif.

3. New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Colo.

4. Spoetzl Brewery Shiner, Texas

5. Pyramid Breweries Inc., Seattle

6. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.

7. Matt Brewing Co., Utica, N.Y.

8. Boulevard Brewing Co., Kansas City, Mo.

9. Full Sail Brewing Co., Hood River, Ore.

10. Magic Hat Brewing Co., Burlington, Vt.

11. Alaskan Brewing Co., Juneau, Alaska

12. Harpoon Brewery, Boston

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